With the advent of high powered rifles that are capable of hitting a target located a great distance from the shooter, and with the advent of high powered scopes that are capable of sighting such a distant target accurately, hand holding of a rifle is no longer totally acceptable.
As is well known, any inaccuracy in the hold is magnified considerably at the long ranges that modern rifles and sights are capable of achieving. As is also well known, a hand hold of a rifle may introduce inaccuracies in the hold. Therefore, while a hand hold may have many advantages and may be acceptable for short range shooting, it is not totally acceptable for the long ranges associated with the just-mentioned modern rifles and sights.
Accordingly, many designs have been proposed for adding accuracy by supporting a rifle during a shooting procedure. An example of such designs is the portable support shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,021 issued on June 30, 1987 and which is intended to provide a firearm support that is readily adjustable to a desired height and readily collapsible while remaining silent in deployment and collapsing.
However, while somewhat successful in accomplishing their intended purposes, such firearm supports still do not provide sufficient stability to the firearm while also permitting rapid attachment and detachment of the device to the firearm to fully satisfy the needs of a modern rifle shooter using the high powered rifles and scopes available to him.
Still further, presently available supports do not permit complete multi-planar movement of the supported firearm, and thus inhibit the shooter somewhat. Such a restricted-movement firearm support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,614 issued on July 19, 1983.
Still further, the presently available firearm supports are not totally reliable when extended and supporting the firearm. That is, once the support is fully extended and supporting a firearm, it may still tend to collapse.
Yet another problem with present devices is that they are not easily stored on the firearm in a manner that keeps them completely out of the way and prevents them from becoming tangled in a shoulder strap associated with the firearm.
All of the above-discussed deficiencies have vitiated the commercial acceptance of these devices and have prohibited them from achieving full use by shooters.